Electric toothbrush case



July 13, 1965 G. H. FROST ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 24, 1963 INVENTOR GEORGE h! FROST BY W? RM ATTORNEY July 13, 1965 cs. H. FROST ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH CASE Filed May 24, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v VEN TOR GEORGE H FROS 7' AFTORNEY United States Patent 3,194,621 ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH CASE George H. Frost, Ashland, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse.

This invention relates to means for storing frequently used domestic appliances, such as electrically driven toothbrushes.

The object of the invention is to provide a portable folding compartmented toothbrush case for storing the power handle, a plurality of detachable toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste and a charger for the said power handle, as well as an appliance cord for said charger. In accordance with the present invention, the case is constructed of a U shaped back, the legs thereof forming the top and the bottom and having two rectilinear compartments pivoted at the corners of said top and bottom pieces where these are bent to meet the back. These two rectilinear compafnnents when moved about, to fit snugly against the back, close the case into a package of unobtrusive design and pleasing aspect either for the daily storage in the household or for travelling. A reel is afiixed to the back onto which the said appliance cord may be wound for storage.

A feature of the invention is the construction of the device in such manner that one part of the frame acts as a latch, it being provided with a couple of dimples into which correspondingly formed mounds on the revolving compartments fall when these compartments have been rotated to a completely closed position, so that such revolving compartments are thereby latched in place. This part of the'frame is provided with a small lip which may be pressed downwardly gand th-roughresilience will give sufficiently to allow the compartments to open and become unlatched whereupon they may be swung out into their open positions.

The said mounds on the undersides of said revolving compartments may be substantiallly of the same height as the thickness of the'bottom of the case so that they act as legs or supporting means when the opened case is rested on a flat surface.

In order to provide rigidity a stiffening member is secured to the back portion of the case and in order to make this sufficiently rigid it is for-med in such a manner thatywhen secured to the back of the case, it will constitute E11T1 on which an appliance cord may be wound.

It will be understood that the design of these electrically power driven appliances is such that no connection to the usual household power supply may exist during the use thereof, so the power handle is provided with a low voltage rechargeable battery and the battery terminals are brought out to such a position on the handle that when the power handle is dropped for storage into one of said compartments it will contact terminals therein whereby the said battery will remain on charge during the periods when it is not in use. Hence an appliance cord will emerge from the said compartment holding the said charging terminals. Such appliance cord may be wound on the said reel when the case is prepared for travel. A feature of the invention may thereby be stated as a portable folding compartmented toothbrush case having a built in charger which will operate to charge the battery of the power handle when this isdropped into a given one of the compartments for storage, and a built in reel onto which the appliance cord may be wound when the case is closed for travel.

Another feature of the invention resides in the formation of a plurality of notches in the top member of the case which constitute, when the case is opened and is resting on a shelf or is hung on a wall, a rack for the temporary storage of a plurality of said detachable brushes and the bottom constitutes a shelf for the temporary storage of other articles, such as tubes of toothpaste.

Other features will appear hereinafter. The drawings consist of two sheets having as follows: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the case opened on for daily use and showing in outline in the left-hand compartment a tube of toothpaste, in the right-hand compartment the power handle dropped down into positionwhere its chargingcontacts make contact with the corresponding contacts of a charger, and hanging in a notch formed in the top, a detachable brush;

FIG. 2 is a like perspective view of the case in closed position showing the lip formed as a portion of the bottom by which the case may be unlatched and showing where the appliance cord is brought out of the righthand compartment to be wound about the reel; and

FIG. 3 is a like perspective view of the case looking three figures,

from the back to show how the stiifening member, pressed to form a reel is attached to the back and showing in outline the appliance cord wound thereabouts.

The case of the present invention is formed from a square U shaped member whose bottom 1 constitutes the back of the case and whose legs 2 and 3 constitute the bottom and the top of the case respectively. Two rectilinear compartments 4 and 5 are each pivoted to the top and bottom of the case by pivots 6 and 7 respectively indicated in the top 3 and by similar pivots in their bottoms (not shown). When these compartments are swung out in opened position, as shown in FIG. 1, any devices or articles stored therein become accessible. When the power handle 8 is not being used it may be put on charge by dropping it down into the position indicated where its charging contacts will touch the charging contacts 9 and 10 of a charger :11, providing, of course, that the plugon the end of the cord 12 has been properly inserted into a utility outlet.

The bottom 2 is provided With a pair of indentations or dimples 13 and 14 into which mounds 15 and 16 respectively will drop when the two compartments have been closed, as indicated in FIG. 2, whereby the case is latched in a closed position.

A lip 17, formed as a part of the bottom 2 which is accessible in the closed position of the case may be pressed downwardly whereupon the bottom will spring downwardly sufliciently to release the latched compartments.

The back 1 is made somewhat more rigid by having a stiffening member 18, stamped to provide the bottom of a reel attached to the back, as indicated in FIG. 3. The appliance cord 12 may be wound on this reel when it is prepared for travel.

It may be noted that the mound means 15 and 16 may have substantially the same dimension as the thickness of the bottom 2 so that they may act as legs when the case is opened as in FIG. 1 and is set to rest on a flat surface.

The top 3 may have notches punched therein so that detachable toothbrushes, such as the indicated brush 19, may be hung there for convenience. The bottom 2 may act as a shelf while the case is opened.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable folding .compartmented case for storage of domestic appliances, such as .a power drive toothbrush handle, detachable brushes, toothpaste tubes and a charger for said power drive handle, consisting of a frame constructed as a square U shaped piece having its bottom constituting the back of said frame and its two legs constituting the top and the bottom of said frame,

a pair of rectilinear compartments pivoted to said top and bottom parts of said frame at the outer edge back corners thereof, each said compartment having a mound protruding from the bottom corner thereof diagonally across from said pivot, dimple means in said bottom of said frame registering with said mound means in the completely closed position of said compartments, a lip provided on said bottom of said frame accessible in said completely closed position of said case, said bottom of said frame being sufficiently elastic to respond to downward pressure on said lip to spring said mount and dimple means apart to allow said compartments to be swung out into open position and an offset stiffening member secured to said back part of said frame forming with said back part a reel for the storage of an appliance cord for a said charger.

2. A portable folding compartmented case for storage of domestic appliances, such as a power drive toothbrush handle, detachable brushes, toothpaste tubes and a charger for said power drive handle, consisting of a frame constructed as a square U shaped piece having the bottom thereof as the hack of said frame and the legs thereof as the top and the bottom of said frame, a pair of rectilinear compartments pivoted to said top and bottom parts of said frame at the outer edge back corners thereof, each of said rectilinear compartments having a mound protruding from the bottom corner thereof diagonally across from said pivot, dimple means in said bottom of said frame registering with said mound means in the completely closed position of said compartments, a lip provided on said bottom of said frame accessible in said completely closed position of said case, said bottom of said frame being sufficiently elastic to respond to downward pressure on said lip to spring said mound and dimple means apart to allow said compartments to be swung out into open position, notches in said top of said frame accessible in the open position of said case for hangring said detachable brushes, and a stiffening member having the base of a reel stamped therein secured to said back part of said frame and constituting with said back part a reel for the storage of an appliance cord for a said charger.

6. A portable folding compartmented case for storage of domestic appliances, such as a power drive toothbrush handle, detachable brushes, toothpaste tubes and a charger for said power drive handle, consisting of a frame constructed as a square U shaped piece having the bottom thereof as the back of said frame and the legs thereof as the top and the bottom of said frame, a pair of rectilinear compartments pivoted to said top and bottom parts of said frame at the outer edge back corners thereof, each of said rectilinear compartments having a mound means formed in the bot-tom corner thereof diagonally across from said pivot, dimple means in said bottom of said frame registering with said mound means in the completely closed position of said compartments and a lip provided on said bottom of said frame accessible in said completely closed position of said case, said :bottom of said frame being sufficiently resilient to yield to downward pressure on said lip to spring said mound and dimple means apart to allow said compartments to swing outwardly into open position, said top of said case being notched to serve as a rack for said detachable brushes and said bottom serving as a shelf in the open position of said case and a stiffening member having the base of a reel formed therein secured to said back of said frame and constituting with said back a reel for the storage of an appliance cord fora said charger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 170,=l33 1.1/ Vine et al 312-324 X 3,087,770 4/63 Gettel 3l2--324 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,059,600 11/53 France.

'FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE FOLDING COMPARTMENTED CASE FOR STORAGE OF DOMESTIC APPLIANCES, SUCH AS A POWER DRIVE TOOTHBRUSH HANDLE, DETACHABLE BRUSHES, TOOTHPASTE TUBES AND A CHARGER FOR SAID POWER DRIVE HANDLE, CONSISTING OF A FRAME CONSTRUCTED AS A SQUARE U SHAPED PIECE HAVING ITS BOTTOM CONSTITUTING THE BACK OF SAID FRAME AND ITS TWO LEGS CONSTITUTING THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID FRAME, A PAIR OF RECTILINEAR COMPARTMENTS PIVOTED TO SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PARTS OF SAID FRAME AT THE OUTER EDGE BACK CORNERS THEREOF, EACH SAID COMPARTMENT HAVING A MOUND PROTRUDING FROM THE BOTTOM CORNER THEREOF DIAGONALLY ACROSS FROM SAID PIVOT, DIMPLE MEANS IN SAID BOTTOM OF SAID FRAME REGISTERING WITH SAID MOUND MEANS IN THE COMPLETELY CLOSED POSITION OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, A LIP PROVIDED ON SAID BOTTOM OF SAID FRAME ACCESSIBLE IN SAID COMPLETELY CLOSED POSITION OF SAID CASE, SAID BOTTOM OF SAID FRAME BEING SUFFICIENTLY ELASTIC TO RESPOND TO DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON SAID LIP TO SPRING SAID MOUNT AND DIMPLE MEANS APART TO ALLOW SAID 